Ivan Khomutov --C--Russia
A wildcard in the draft, Khomutov is a big forward (6-3, 180) with great offensive flair. Possesses good hands, finish and superb accelleration, but needs to put it all together. Excellent rise potential.

Weird, Hockey futures had him #25 of their top 30 in Feb. they also have his weight at 180.

Looks as if he puts it all togther Lou and COnte may have found another Diamond in the rough here. Sounds like all the potential is there.

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"Jay Pandolfo's last game at Boston University was against the Wolverines," Madden said. "My job was to cover his line. Jay had scored something like 30 goals in 30 games that season. And that was his 31st game. Guess what happened?"

"We always joke about it now," Madden said. "Jay tells me: 'You shut me down that game and you've been shutting me down ever since. The only problem is, now you're playing with me. ' "

Official Keeper of Little GNew Jersey Devils|3|New York Yankees|27|New York Giants|3|Penn State|4|"They are the loudest and most loyal students in the country. They call this place Happy Valley? That's an understatement tonight. This is definitely the best place on Earth. I have seen Paternoville, I have seen these students...there is nothing like this in the country."-ESPN College Gameday"We cannot rank Penn State University against other schoolsin the party school category because we feel it is unfair to rank professionals against amateurs."-Playboy Magazine"You're driving along with nothing and then it's likecow... cow... cow... 20,000 hot chicks!That's Penn State." -Jon Stewart

khomutov was also ranked as the #9 Euro by CSB at the midterm. Wow. He musta fell apart or something the 2nd half. LEts see what we can get out of him, i think he may hold some promise.

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"Jay Pandolfo's last game at Boston University was against the Wolverines," Madden said. "My job was to cover his line. Jay had scored something like 30 goals in 30 games that season. And that was his 31st game. Guess what happened?"

"We always joke about it now," Madden said. "Jay tells me: 'You shut me down that game and you've been shutting me down ever since. The only problem is, now you're playing with me. ' "

6-3 180? That guy should be working in a record store, not playing hockey.

Thats an old listing. CSB had him at around 200 now.

And the majority of guys over 6' taken today were under 200 pounds remember most of them are 18 and are still growing and have yet to fill out.

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"Jay Pandolfo's last game at Boston University was against the Wolverines," Madden said. "My job was to cover his line. Jay had scored something like 30 goals in 30 games that season. And that was his 31st game. Guess what happened?"

"We always joke about it now," Madden said. "Jay tells me: 'You shut me down that game and you've been shutting me down ever since. The only problem is, now you're playing with me. ' "

Khomutov-
2002-03 with Elektrostal (Russia): 20 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 PTS, 8 PIM
NHL Central Scouting Rank: 21st among European skaters
If there's a wild card among European prospects, this is him. Some observers think he's one of the better Russians available, but others consider him lazy and project him as a second-round pick. He possesses an impressive wrist shot, a good touch around the net and above-average speed. He had trouble getting ice time in his first season in the Superleague and totaled just two points in 20 games.

Parise-
2002-03 with North Dakota (WCHA): 34 GP, 25 G, 32 A, 57 PTS, 32 PIM
NHL Central Scouting Rank: 9th among North American skaters
Another prospect with an NHL pedigree, he's the son of former Minnesota North Stars and New York Islanders winger J.P. Parise. Moved up two spots to finish the season as the ninth-ranked North American skater. Was the only freshman nominated for the Hobey Baker Award after recording three hat tricks, including one in his NCAA debut. He also led the U.S. team in scoring with four goals and four assists in seven games at the World Junior Championships. He lacks size, but so did his father, who made up for it with a tireless work ethic. Some scouts believe he's one of the best prospects to come out of college in years. "He's really got it all," North Dakota coach Dean Blais said. "He's quick, got great puck skills, he scores, he fights his way to the net, he finds a way to get his points."

We all know what Parise brings, but it looks like Lou took a risk on Khomutov, hopefully it pays off, and we get a good big center out of it.

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"Jay Pandolfo's last game at Boston University was against the Wolverines," Madden said. "My job was to cover his line. Jay had scored something like 30 goals in 30 games that season. And that was his 31st game. Guess what happened?"

"We always joke about it now," Madden said. "Jay tells me: 'You shut me down that game and you've been shutting me down ever since. The only problem is, now you're playing with me. ' "

This is slightly off-topic, but draft related. The Stars' 3rd round choice, #99, is Matt Nickerson, a defenseman from the Texas Tornado hockey club. He's not from Texas, he's from Connecticut, but has been playing in Texas for 2 years (it's a "Junior A" Stars affiliate in the NAHL). He's signed with U Mich for next year.

It's just a nice little step for hockey in Texas.

(The Tornado has won the NAHL championship, so they're a good team.)

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Winner of the 2004 Lady Byng Award and the 2003 and 2004 Joe Nieuwendyk award.------------------------------------------------------------------------"He has no ego," says Lou Lamoriello, general manager of the New Jersey Devils. "I don't think he has a selfish bone in his body. It gets infectious with people around him, but that's Joe. Having him here was something very special."------------------------------------------------------------------------And the simple truth is this -- before and after Joe Nieuwendyk, this franchise has not been as good. Yes the same could be said for others, but Nieuwendyk's effect on his team, on his team's best players, on the fans and in the community can only be compared to, well, what Jarome Iginla is doing now in Calgary. Ralph Strangis, dallasstars.com-----------------------------------------------------------------------

They traded their 1st round pick (28th) to Anaheim for a couple of 2nd round picks and got LW Loui Ericksson from Sweden, W Vojtech Polak from Czech Rep., then Brandon Crombeen of the OHL, then Nickerson.

So it'll be awhile before any of those picks can help. The fans really wanted him to make a trade, but nothing happened.

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Winner of the 2004 Lady Byng Award and the 2003 and 2004 Joe Nieuwendyk award.------------------------------------------------------------------------"He has no ego," says Lou Lamoriello, general manager of the New Jersey Devils. "I don't think he has a selfish bone in his body. It gets infectious with people around him, but that's Joe. Having him here was something very special."------------------------------------------------------------------------And the simple truth is this -- before and after Joe Nieuwendyk, this franchise has not been as good. Yes the same could be said for others, but Nieuwendyk's effect on his team, on his team's best players, on the fans and in the community can only be compared to, well, what Jarome Iginla is doing now in Calgary. Ralph Strangis, dallasstars.com-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Funny thing is I think I like the Devils' third round pick better than the second; I mean we have to get SOME size sometime, right? But of course all hail the Great Lou and Conte who know more than I do, yet another steal today

Ironic that our second round pick was the Holik compensation and our third round pick was part of the Danton deal. So I'll definitely be rooting for those two picks of ours to succeed (along with Parise)

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"The Devils have high standards, that's the difference. We have a standard to live up to every year, and a couple of teams in our area don't have the standards we do." - Pat Burns

The New Jersey Devils win Stanley Cups everywhere:-NHL record for most road wins in the playoffs - 10-1 in '95 and 10-2 in '00-NHL record for most home wins in the playoffs - 12-1 in '03

Hopefully Vrana can get a bit bigger, or at least bulk up. His stats this year from junior are really impressive for a rookie. So we know the skill is there. Get that kid on some growth hormones and weights!

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"Jay Pandolfo's last game at Boston University was against the Wolverines," Madden said. "My job was to cover his line. Jay had scored something like 30 goals in 30 games that season. And that was his 31st game. Guess what happened?"

"We always joke about it now," Madden said. "Jay tells me: 'You shut me down that game and you've been shutting me down ever since. The only problem is, now you're playing with me. ' "